Your result:

approval gap

You know what you think. You have your values, your convictions and things you actually stand for.

But somewhere between what you know deep down is true for you and what you dare to express in front of others, you start compromising.

You think about how it will land. Who might get provoked. Who will misunderstand you. Who might unfollow you.

And suddenly it's no longer your own conviction deciding what you say. It's your idea of what other people will think.

This is how it shows up

You have an opinion about something in your industry. But instead of saying it clearly, you write something everyone can agree with.

You add explanations, disclaimers and apologies that don't actually need to be there.

You say "this is just my opinion" when what you really want to say is "this is what I believe".

You might even change your mind in public, not because you've gained new insight, but because someone reacted negatively.

And sometimes you simply don't say anything at all.

You've become so good at not making others uncomfortable that you've started making yourself smaller.